


Blood and Song

by floorgremlin



Category: K-pop, SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Alternate Universe - Victorian, Gen, Vampires, good cats, kind of victorian but not really
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:09:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22742284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/floorgremlin/pseuds/floorgremlin
Summary: Jeon, a Hunter, drags Vernon back in to his world. They must work together to defeat the darkness in their town.
Relationships: Chwe Hansol | Vernon/Jeon Wonwoo
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	1. A Meeting

His lungs felt like they were bursting.

The only sounds on the cobblestone streets were his feet furiously tapping on the stonework. He knew they were behind him, could feel their eyes boring into his back, his neck, his head. 

Just a little further.

They were toying with him, he knew. Letting him exhaust himself, running to a last-ditch chance. He may not even be home. He may not even answer. But it was either humiliation or death, and he still had some pride left to wound.

He saw the door ahead of him, a beacon in the darkness. A sob escaped his throat. He can’t believe it was in front of him. He pushed himself the last few feet and threw himself at the entryway.

“Please, let me in!” His fists slammed against the door, shaking it on its hinges. He didn’t hear any noise inside. He didn’t hear anything at all, which worried him. He could still feel them creeping towards them but had no idea how far away they were. Did they enjoy seeing him beg, hearing the desperation in his voice? He kept hitting the door.

A rustling of chains and the peephole opened. A set of dark eyes stared back.

“Jeon? What is it…”

“Vernon let me in, they’re right behind me, we can discuss all this…”

But Vernon saw something Jeon didn’t - his eyes widened, taking it in, and the scrabble to undo the locks and chains on the door heightened Jeon’s anxiety. If it scared Vernon, then something was seriously wrong.

He felt strong hands drag him instead, and he fell into the home. A rush of air hit his back, sharp fingernails brushing the end of his coat.

“Well, you were just in time, it seems.”

The smooth voice sent shivers down Jeon’s spine. He felt them working into his head, a siren’s song to his heart. The voice haunted his dreams, his nightmares, his waking moments.

Yoon stared at them both through the entryway. A small smile crept across his face.

“Vernon. It’s fantastic to see you again.”

Vernon appeared just as captivated as Jeon, but something simmered underneath the glamor Yoon’s words put on him. Anger. Sadness. Determination.

“I wish I could say the same.”

Another figure slinked behind Yoon - if Jeon had to guess it was Joshua waiting his turn. Sharp teeth and keen eyes glowed in the darkness. 

“Any chance you’d invite us in, Vernon? I’d love to have a drink with you again.”

Yoon’s predatory stare didn’t seem to phase Vernon. His grip on Jeon’s shoulders tightened as he dragged him up to stand.

“You and your kind aren’t welcome here. Not now, not ever. I would kindly ask you to leave my property.”

Though Vernon’s words were sharp and intimidating, Yoon still laughed. An arm draped over his shoulders as Joshua appeared behind him, joining in.

“Did you hear that, Joshua? We’re not welcome.”

“I remember the days we were. Those were fun, weren’t they?”

Jeon’s exhaustion barely let him register the words. Blackness was creeping around the edges of his vision. He was barely holding on. He touched Vernon’s hand, slipping him the last weapon he had in his arsenal. A streak of blood marred Vernon’s pale skin.

Vernon looked down in his hand and smiled. “Those days are over. Now leave, before I use this.”

The vial was small and transparent, a token one would find in a shop of baubles. But the object set Yoon’s eyes on fire. He stared at the vial and started backing away.

“Very rude of you, Vernon. Keep your trinket. We’ll be back for him. He can’t stay in there forever. We all know how you like your solitude.”

Just as quickly as they appeared, they were gone. Jeon let the darkness take hold, dragging him under. Down, down, down, until he drifted off into oblivion.

**Vernon**

He thought he was safe here. Safe from this world, safe from his past. Safe from them.

Vernon sighed as he heated the soup he made earlier. Jeon was still passed out, but he knew when he woke, he’d probably be hungry — and confused. And it’ll be awkward. The soup would help. It does most of the time.

He tried not to let his mind wander as he ladled the soup into the bowls. He hadn’t seen Jeon for months, and their last interaction hadn’t been very warm. He didn’t understand why he came here, of all places. Surely the Guild had safehouses…

A groan broke Vernon’s thoughts.

“Why does it never get easier?” Jeon rubbed the sleep from his eyes and pushed the blanket down. His clothes were still disheveled, but at least some color was back into his face.

“What gets easier?”

“Running. I train and train and train, and anytime I have to run, I still feel like shit.”

Vernon carefully placed the bowl of soup on the small table by Jeon. “Maybe you aren’t training hard enough. Here, eat this. When’s the last time you had food?”

“It’s been a while,” said Jeon, carefully avoiding Vernon’s gaze. So it seems he knew how awkward this was. 

They ate in silence, their slurps and spoons making conversation for them. Jeon finished first - it seems like he barely took a breath as he ate his meal. He pulled a handkerchief from somewhere inside his vest and delicately wiped his mouth.

“Well, I suppose I should say I’m sorry, huh?”

“Sorry?” Vernon carefully placed his bowl down to look at Jeon. “For what?”

“For this. For bringing all this to your door.” His tone was casual, but Vernon could see the tension in his eyes.

“It’s fine,” Vernon said. “In the morning, I’ll work on packing up and move to another place.”

“Now see, it’s not really ‘fine,’ is it?” 

Vernon was surprised by Jeon’s flash of anger. “I’m not sure how this concerns you…”

“It does concern me. I’m not an idiot - you’ve hidden for a reason. You’ve hidden  _ here  _ for a reason. And now I’ve gone and fucked it all up.”

“Well, now there’s no need for language like that…”

“Vernon! Stop. Being. Polite.” Jeon grabbed Vernon’s wrist and forced him to look at his face. Vernon had seen Jeon mad, battle high, determined. But he’d never seen him sad. His eyes glisten with unshed tears. “This is my fault. I shouldn’t have come here. I broke my promise, and I’m sorry.”

Vernon placed his hand over Jeon’s. “Jeon, thank you. But we can’t take back what happened. Let’s get some rest and see what the morning holds. You have to be exhausted.”

Jeon’s eyes looked away for a second, and the tears were gone. The Hunter Vernon knew was back. “Yeah, I’ll take my usual room. See you in the morning, Vernon.” 

Vernon watched Jeon go upstairs to the guest bedroom and slumped in his chair. Sighing felt cliche, but it’s all he could feel at the moment. He’d gotten comfortable here in this flat, but in the back of his mind, he knew that it wouldn’t last. One day they’d find him - them or someone like them - and he’d have to move locations again. Staying here made him feel…closer to his past in a way that didn’t hurt, and he was grateful for that. But with that feeling came complacency, and as his eyes scanned the room, his heart was full of loss. He’d gotten attached. And now he’d have to pack it all up and move away.

* * *

“Take this.”

Vernon handed Jeon yet another box to load onto the cart. 

“Vernon, has anyone ever told you that you have a problem?”

Vernon pushed his glasses further onto his face. “Problem? With what?”

“With books! You really need all of these?”

“Jeon, some people fight with trinkets and pointy things. I fight with knowledge.”

Jeon looked at him for a moment before bursting into laughter. He held his stomach as he doubled over. “Ow, ow, ow, Vernon, please don’t make me laugh. It still hurts.”

“What’s so funny with what I said?”

“Nothing, it’s just...I guess I’ve forgotten how serious you are about everything. Is this the last box?”

Vernon surveyed his flat with a critical eye. All the necessary items were accounted for. He hated leaving some things - his bed, the heavy velvet drapes - but they weren’t crucial to his work. “I just need to collect Edith.”

“Edith? Wait, there was someone else here? Yikes, I hope they didn’t see me this morning…”

“Edith is a cat, Jeon. You can relax.” Vernon crouched down and held his hand out. A timid nose popped out from underneath the couch, sniffing the air for what Vernon held in his hand. Slowly, the white cat crept out and walked into Vernon’s arms.

“Now, we can go.”


	2. A Memory

He was ready for it, but the explosion still surprised him.

They were down in the secret tunnel below Vernon’s home. Well, former home Jeon’s guessed. They had dragged the cart down the tunnel, Edith meowing the entire way. “She doesn’t like the dark,” Vernon said as if a cat could have an opinion. Vernon had set the charge and warned Jeon about the noise, but as the sound ripped through the tunnel, Jeon still jumped.

“How many explosives did you rig, Vernon?!”

“Enough. The blast and the ensuing fire should take care of the rest.” 

Vernon continued into the tunnel, not even looking back at the space that had been his home the past two years. And before that was his sister’s home. He seemed so determined, but Jeon knew this had to hurt him. If he hadn’t come along, Vernon would still be happily sipping tea and reading books and getting ink stains on everything in the home that held so many good memories. Jeon watched the door to those memories smolder and followed Vernon down the tunnel.

* * *

The first time he met Vernon had been in that home. Jeon was at yet another “function,” which he found infinitely dull when he was five and did still. He was running away from his nanny, finding the perfect hiding spot to escape her and eat the sweets he’d stashed in his pocket moments before. He could hear her stomping down the carpeted hallway, calling his name.

The door was like any other in the house. Jeon still doesn’t know why he picked that door. He quickly turned the knob and, discovering it was unlocked, dashed into the room and shut the door quietly. No lock, but he didn’t think his nanny would try this door. He turned around and took in his new hideout.

It was a library or a study? He wasn’t sure. His dad had a room like this in his home, but Jeon had only seen it in stolen glances. But it smelled like this. Like books and paper and smoke. He was so taken by his surroundings that he didn’t even notice the other person in the room. He looked about his age, but he couldn’t really tell what he looked like since his face was stuck in a book.

“Is it ok if I stay here?” Jeon whispered. He knew the nanny probably couldn’t hear him through the thick door, but it felt right to whisper in a place like this.

“I don’t mind,” said the person. Jeon wasn’t used to people not paying attention to him, so the fact that this person (this boy?) wouldn’t even look up from their book to acknowledge him made him curious. What could be in that book that was better than him? 

He crept up to the figure, trying to be as quiet as possible. If he was silent, he wouldn’t notice him, and then he could surprise him.

“I can hear you, you know. You’re not very clever.”

“What the heck?! You can’t even see me!” Jeon huffed.

“I can’t, but you’re not very subtle.” The person closed their book (so it was a boy, his age or—) and gave Jeon a stare that he’d only seen his mother gives him. “Are you bored with the party too?”

“It’s just a bunch of grownups talking. There isn’t even any games or music or anything.”

“My sister and her husband are severe people. They’re throwing a salon, not a party.”

“Wait, is this  _ your  _ house?!”

“Well, no. And yes. It’s my family’s home.”

“And you can go where ever you want in it?”

“No, but I know how to get into here.” The boy put down his book and walked towards Jeon. He looked younger than him but spoke like his dad - every word was a choice. He seemed trustworthy, if not a little strange.

“I swiped these from downstairs,” Jeon revealed perfectly frosted cakes and treats from his pocket. “Do you want to share?”

The serious face of the boy slipped, and a smile appeared. “Is that chocolate?”

* * *

Jeon felt totally lost in the tunnels. It felt like they had been walking for hours, pulling the cart behind him. Vernon blazed the trail like he’d walked it countless times. Maybe he had. Jeon couldn’t remember him mentioning them before, but he obviously knew them well. Edith sat atop the cart like a princess on a throne.

Vernon stopped and tapped the stone wall a few times. The sound echoed through the tunnel in a way that made Jeon nervous. It sounded too much like the sounds from last night. The tapping on the stones….the soft laughs in the dark…

“Jeon?” The hand on his shoulder startled him. He instinctively grabbed Vernon’s wrists and gripped hard. He was about to attack when Vernon’s touched softened, and he backed away, his hands in the air.

“Sorry, sorry. Should’ve known better to surprise a Hunter.”

He could feel the flush creeping up his neck. “No, I’m sorry, I think I’m a little jumpy from last night. Didn’t get the best sleep.”

It was a lie, and they both knew it, but he was thankful his old friend had the grace to not say anything more. 

“We’re here.”

“Here? Where’s here?” Jeon looked around for a door, a passageway, anything to signal an entrance to something. 

Vernon smirked, and for a brief moment, Jeon saw the cocky man that he knew in the past. “Oh Jeon, it’s cute how obtuse you can sometimes be.”

The air crackled, and Jeon could feel goose flesh on his skin. The wall that Vernon tapped glowed softly before Vernon contorted his fingers in a pattern and pushed them towards it. Signs and sigils pulsed over the brick, and soon the wall disappeared completely, revealing a lift. 

Jeon felt breathless and dizzy and a little exhilarated by the sight. “Neat trick, is it new?”

“No, just one you’ve never seen before. Push the cart in there, we’re here.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a casual Seventeen fan. The Fear MV inspired this story. If I get the details of the band wrong, I apologize!


End file.
